Love, Actually
by 3shells
Summary: SasuSaku. Post-Manga. Twelve years Sakura learned of love, and still counting. Because people changed. Circumstances changed. Love never did.


Author's Note : SasuSaku is CANON! And I couldn't keep this idea out of my head, so I just went for it. ;) People kept saying that Sakura had no self-respect, with her accepting Sasuke's apology so easily. But that was actually what made their story so beautiful, that she would keep loving him despite everything he had made her through. Her love was unending, constant. It complimented Sasuke's relentless need of hatred, in a weird yin and yang kind of way. *sob*

Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.

Summary : Post-Manga. Twelve years Sakura learned of love, and still counting. Because people changed. Circumstances changed. Her love for Sasuke never did.

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><p>"<em>All I want is… for you to acknowledge me. And I'm absolutely serious about this, because I like you a lot."<em>

* * *

><p>At age twelve, Sakura learned of crush.<p>

Despite being an honour student due to her scholastic intelligence at the Academy, she was narcissistic, utterly engrossed in worrying about her appearance while neglecting her shinobi skills.

Upon being assigned as a member of Team 7, she spent her time trying to appeal to Sasuke, regardless of her unrequited infatuation and the fact that he had a habit of belittling her. Little did she realize that this goal acted as a formidable weapon in her arsenal, as she finally gained an objective, sharpening her skills as a kunoichi so she could impress Sasuke.

At age twelve, Sakura fancied herself infatuated with him, rooted in his good looks, cunning, nonchalant disposition, and prodigious talents.

Sasuke was not faultless, she fathomed after a decent period of time, him being very reserved, cynical, and arrogant. His superiority complex, along with his desire to be a self-titled avenger dedicated to killing his brother interfered with his social skills. He favored solitude, preferring to think of others, including her, as a hindrance to him and his own advancement.

Sakura discerned she had found someone absolutely perfect in Sasuke.

She had not.

And it didn't matter.

At age twelve, Sakura learned of love.

She learned she didn't love Sasuke because he was perfect. She loved him despite the fact he was not.

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><p>"<em>You taught me that solitude is painful… I understand that so well now. I have family and I have friends, but if you're gone… To me… It is the same as being alone."<em>

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><p>At age thirteen, Sakura learned of loneliness.<p>

Sasuke had defected from Konoha, despite all that she had done to deter him from departing. She had shouted out her love, pledging she would do anything for him, even offering to assist him at his quest to obtain power just to be with him.

All of which went unheeded.

He left anyways.

Her heart had not reached him.

She cursed herself from not being strong enough to stop him.

At age thirteen, with her heart shattered down into millions of miniature fragments, Sakura learned of love.

She learned love made her vulnerable. It opened her chest and laid her heart open to him. Loving Sasuke meant she handed him a razor with a map of where to cut deepest and most painfully on her heart and soul.

She also realized that love is a force more formidable than others. Loving Sasuke that deeply gave her courage and strength. It gave her the courage to change, strength to endure relentless training under her apprenticeship with Tsunade, and determination never to be useless again.

At age thirteen, Sakura faced forward and resolved never to give up on bringing Sasuke back, no matter how gruelling the journey ahead would be.

* * *

><p>"<em>So long as we live under the same sky, silently and strongly, for that day, I wait."<em>

* * *

><p>At age fifteen, Sakura learned of perseverance.<p>

Konoha had decided to take advantage of the information she had gained from Sasori, establishing it as an opportunity to track down Sasuke.

With Kakashi still bedridden after his last fight, two members of her team had been absent, and Yamato and Sai had been added as their replacements. The freshly formed team had gone through the mission until, with Sai's unanticipated assistance, they had arrived at Orochimaru's hideout.

They had found him.

Yet she had been unable to persuade him to come home, and had been attacked instead.

Such a massive and compressing killing intent emanated from his body, reducing her to a pile of motionless goo, that had Yamato not decided to intervene and taken the attack for her, she would have been instantly slaughtered.

He ultimately escaped, leaving her with tears of frustration and defeat brimming her eyes.

A feeling of emptiness filling her chest.

So close, yet so far away.

At age fifteen, Sakura learned of love.

She realized that if you loved someone so much until it hurt, there could be no more hurt, only more love.

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><p>"<em>It's because Sakura loves Sasuke that she doesn't want him to sink any lower. Even when the only way to do it is to kill him with her own two hands…"<em>

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><p>At age sixteen, Sakura learned of despair.<p>

Her soul was torn between shinoby duty and love.

Sasuke had grown more distant, a dangerous criminal that had threatened the civility between the nations. His actions of joining the Akatsuki and capturing the Eight-Tails, eventually offending the Fourth Raikage, would lead only to war.

Believing the best course of action would be to personally assasinate him herself, Sakura pursued Sasuke with Kiba, Lee, and Sai.

One must pay a fair compensation to obtain something. For her, if she could stop Sasuke and rescue him from the evil path he walked on…

She would gladly make any sacrifice, even if that was to be his own life.

Or hers.

Ultimately, she had not been able to bring herself to kill him.

Memories of their time together had assaulted her at the very last second, cracking her composure, and rendering her unsteady. The lapse of vulnerability had cost her, for Sasuke seized that opportunity to strangle her neck.

At age sixteen, Sakura learned of love.

Love was sobbing herself to sleep night after endless night because the man who had taken her heart had attempted to kill her twice. Love was a thousand of shattered dreams and a flood of memories that robbed her of her senses and was physically, excruciatingly suffocating.

Love was unyielding, supreme, and unconditional, that even when the person she wanted acceptance from the most was the one who caused her most pain, she simply did not know how to stop.

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><p>"<em>The truth is… I've always know in my heart there was nothing I could have done for you. But I love you! No matter what has happened, I still care for you more than I can bear. If I still have a place in your heart, no matter how small it may be… then please, I'm begging you, don't slip away any further."<em>

* * *

><p>At age seventeen, Sakura learned of defeat.<p>

Sasuke's return to fight alongside the Shinobi Alliance was merely a means to an end, a mode to remove as many people as possible who could get in the way of his future plan. He intended to instigate a revolution, desiring to kill the current Kages and control the tailed beasts, inflaming the flames of hatred in every village and focusing it on him.

Tears of pain and misery prickling at the corners of her eyes, she made a final plea for Sasuke, sobbing tears of blood and shouted until her throat crackled. Imploring him to return home and to overcome his hatred.

Only to be silenced by a genjutsu.

Left unconscious, once again.

Useless, once again.

At age seventeen, Sakura detested love.

Because when all was said and done, grief was the price she paid for it. Maybe she was destined to forever fall in love with a person she couldn't have. Fated to endure the feeling of impossibility over and over again.

Sasuke was the man she had to fight for, and she went down fighting. Went down crumbling to a puddle of desolation.

But none of it was ever going to be enough for him.

* * *

><p>"<em>Sakura… I'm sorry... for everything up until now."<em>

* * *

><p>Still at age seventeen, Sakura learned of forgiveness.<p>

Sakura arrived at the Valley of the End to find Sasuke and Naruto, both missing an arm. Completely wearied and on the verge of dying, they lay next to each other after rekindling their friendship. While trying the heal them, Sasuke had, for the first time in her life, sincerely apologized.

She had never cried harder, without sobs, relief oozing from her throat, while the pressure of gratification in her chest refused to abate.

She tearfully accepted his apology.

At age seventeen, Sakura also learned of love.

Love was giving up hope that the past could have been any different. Love forgave all infirmities and love still in spite if them.

She didn't forgive Sasuke because he deserved it.

She forgave him because he needed it−because she needed it.

* * *

><p>"<em>I'll see you again when I come back. And… Thank you."<em>

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><p>At age eighteen, Sakura learned of hope.<p>

A couple of weeks after the war, Sasuke was prepared to leave Konoha, deciding to see the world through clearer eyes after being officially pardoned by Kakashi.

After declining her offer to go with him, claiming that his sins had nothing to do with her, he tapped her on her forehead in a gesture so affectionate her heart thumped painfully wild and her limbs went weak.

His pond, pensive gaze never wavered from her eyes that Sakura felt a prickling blush started to heat up her cheeks.

She watched him go with newfound surge of contentedness surrounding her heart.

He left, but he would definitely return.

At age eighteen, Sakura learned of love.

Sometimes you had to be apart from the people you love, but that didn't make you love them any less. Sometimes you loved them more.

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><p>"<em>I'm back... Thank you for waiting."<em>

* * *

><p>At age nineteen, Sakura learned of happiness.<p>

She, along with Naruto, Sai, Shikamaru, and Hinata was just returning from rescuing the kidnapped Hyuuga Hanabi, walking down the main street of Konoha after the arduous and demanding mission.

Only to find out that Sasuke was back.

He was waiting at the gate, after heroically defending Konoha from a horrible crisis involving the meteorites from the crumbled moon, some of which had rained down on the village.

With Naruto engrossed on another task, Kakashi had requested his aid, a decision that proved appropriate as his Rinnegan had apparently played a vital part in preventing the catastrophe, swaying the odds in their favor and avoiding Konoha's total ruin.

A wave of tenderness rushed to her, a stirring of elation kicked her heart into excitement.

Before she gave herself a chance to reconsider, she went forward to him, removing all distance between them. She launched herself at him, flinging her arms around his shoulders, and he murmured her name on her ears.

Then he held her at arm's length and gently tapped her forehead.

A new beginning, that was, for the two of them.

At age nineteen, Sakura learned of love.

No relationship was perfect, ever. Theirs certainly wasn't.

There were always some ways they had to bend, to compromise, to give something up to gain something far more important.

There were always problems. His fixation on missions, her demanding work at the hospital. His aloof demeanor, her blatantly affectionate bearing. His fear of emotional attachment, her fear of being hurt.

Those weren't important.

Because what was important was the love they had for each other was bigger than those differences.

That was the key, because love could make up for a lot.

* * *

><p>"<em>Thank you. Thank you for never giving up on me."<em>

* * *

><p>At age twenty-four, Sakura learned of the future.<p>

She had been married to Sasuke for a year, and she had just given birth to a beautiful baby girl a little over a week ago.

Sarada, she was called.

She watched fondly from the couch as Sasuke craddled her carefully, his altogether functional prosthetic arm cupping the baby's head, an expression of pure wonder on his face.

It seemed little Sarada had her Papa wrapped tightly around her little fingers, Sakura mused.

Little as she was, the raven-haired baby possessed an alarmingly changeable temperament. One moment she was compliant and adorable. The next, she was a squirming and screeching demon-spawn who could only be soothed by the sound of her dearest Papa's voice.

Only after a round of cooing and fussing from Sasuke would Sarada settle into hiccupping giggles.

Sasuke's gaze settled on Sakura after placing the baby on the crib, eyes twinkling with warmth. He came to her, taking her shoulders in his large hands.

Smiling, he lowered his forehead to hers before kissing the tip of her nose.

At age twenty-four, Sakura learned of love.

People changed. Circumstances changed. Her love for Sasuke never did.

At age twenty-four, Sakura had experienced love.

Twelve years, and still counting.

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><p>Author's Note : How was it? :)<p>

English is not my primary language, so please pardon any mistakes.

Critics and suggestions would make me the happiest girl alive! ;)


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